Explore more from Germany. Following their victory over Nazi Germany in May , the Allies were faced with occupying and administering a country in ruins. British soldiers had a leading role in this, helping to hunt war criminals, rebuild industry and deal with displaced persons.
At the same time, they had to learn to live and work alongside their former enemies. On 7 May , after months of fierce fighting , the Germans agreed to Allied demands for unconditional surrender, finally ending six years of warfare that had left millions dead and much of Europe in ruins. The Allies were now faced with occupying a conquered and destroyed nation. It had already been agreed that Germany and Austria would be divided into four occupation zones: Soviet, American, French and British.
Each of the major powers was the sole political and legal authority in its zone. The German capital of Berlin, despite being deep inside the Soviet occupation area, was also to be split into four separate zones. The four powers would also work together via the Berlin-based Allied Control Council, formed in August , which would oversee matters relating to the whole of Germany.
It was made responsible for the occupation and administration of the British Zone in north-west Germany. This consisted of British civil servants and military personnel. It took over aspects of local government, policing, housing and transport. Both here and elsewhere, it requisitioned German buildings for military administration and accommodation, exacerbating the housing shortage. Indeed, with around , Commonwealth soldiers in Germany by the end of , finding barracks and camps for them all in a ruined country was major headache.
On 21 July , the British held a victory parade through Berlin to commemorate and celebrate the end of the war. Many other parades had already been held across the British zone. While an integral part of the Victory in Europe VE celebrations, these events also helped enforce a sense of defeat on the Germans and served to remind them that they were occupied. Following their victory, the Allies feared that Nazi fanatics might wage a partisan war against the occupation, and gather in the mountains of Bavaria and Austria, in the so-called 'Alpine Redoubt'.
